Astuvansalmi rock art
The rock art of Astuvansalmi is an ensemble of prehistoric rock art on the shores of Lake Yövesi in Ristiina near Mikkeli in eastern Finland . With 65 different representations combined in 15 images, it is one of the largest in Fennoscandinavia . They were officially discovered in the summer of 1968 by the archaeologist Pekka Sarvas . Locals had known the pictures for a long time. The site is on the UNESCO tentative list.
The paintings are located on a rock that looks like a human head when viewed from a certain direction. The rock probably served as a place of worship . The images are between 7.7 and 11.8 meters above lake level, which is significantly higher than when they were created. The oldest rock paintings date from 3000 to 2500 BC. Chr .; the most recent representations date from around 750 BC. BC back. The reddish- ocher-colored stylized representations contain around 18 to 20 elks, roughly the same number of people, further abstract representations of hands and animals, 8 to 9 ships and difficult-to-identify geometric figures. Compared to other rock art in Scandinavia, Karelia , and Siberia , the paintings by Astuvansalmi are characterized by a particular complexity.
Other archaeological finds such as statuettes , jewelry and arrowheads were made on the lake floor. A Stone Age settlement from around 3300 to 2800 BC was found near the rock art. Found.
- Astuvansalmi
literature
- Pekka Kivikäs: Kallio, maisema yes kalliomaalaus . Suomi: Minerva Kustannus Oy, 2005, ISBN 952-5478-61-0 .
- Herbert Kühn : The rock paintings of Europe , Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart, page 157.
Web links
Coordinates: 61 ° 26 ′ 39 ″ N , 27 ° 32 ′ 37 ″ E